Acura CL

Comments

Yes, I know some people hated it, but I have to share my thought on how to make shifting it fun. Very simple - firm and quick shift. That's how you can row through the gears smoothly. If you do it in a slow or even regular manner then it won't be as fun or as smooth. Just give it a try If you can row from Park to 1 in a smooth motion then you have mastered it, Grasshopper )

that's what I really want - right on the steering wheel so you'll have more room on the floor for storage and things. MB's shifter is a little different from ours so maybe car critics like it more. I haven't seen any car makers marketing department touting the advantages of gated shifter. There must be some out there.

oh yah, I notice that the outside thermometer is a few degrees higher even at highway speed - anyway, I am too lazy to get that fixed.... maybe next service.

My 98 CL 2.3 Auto. was to be my last new carbut it's sluggish performance makes me want more.Now Acura sends me a magazine with an articleabout the new 2002 RSX and gets me drooling again.Is there no end to their enticing ways? Anybodyknow what these will cost?Is 55 too old to want acar like this?Maybe I just haven't grown up yet.Next step after a Buick is the graveyard.By the way BEWARE of quick lube places.One caused an oil leak (bad filter) another left the brake fluidreservoir cap loose causing the brake warninglight to come on.

You only live ONCE! If you like it, get it! I just received an engraved invitation from my Acura dealer to see it at a special showing in a few weeks. I just bought my CL-S in March, so I won't be buying one, but I would like to see it and drive it. BTW- if you go and see one, drive the CL-S too! You WON'T find anything sluggish about this baby AND gas mileage in the 20's around town!

How does a guy that goes by the name "fastdriver" manage over 20 mpg around town in a CL-S? I average 20 mpg and that includes alot of freeway driving mixed in. I haven't done any road trips so I don't know what I'd get with 100% freeway.

Do the rest of you CL-S owners get the impression that your car's "peppiness" fluctuates over time? For instance, when I hit about 4000 miles, the engine felt very fast, very loose. Almost seemed to rev faster. I just thought it was finally fully broken in. Then I took it in for the first oil and filter change. Now it seems to be just a touch less peppy. It seems to need more throttle to get the same surge. Of course I have no instumented evidence, just seat-of-the-pants feel.

Maybe the name is a misnomer. I'm not out racing everybody or doing jackrabbit starts at every stoplight! When I'm on the highway, I like everyone to get out of my way. I like to go about 75 or so depending on conditions. I now have 5,400+ miles since 3/28/01! The longest trip so far has been to Keene, NH- about 120+ miles or so. I have never gotten less then 20MPG since day one. I see that you go to acura-cl.com too. What's your user name there? Mine is the same as here.

canadiancl-

I don't know if you go to http://www.acura-cl.com or not, but you should. It's a LOT more active then this is and there are a ton of people to answer your questions. There has been a lot of talk there about some "actuator" towards the back of the engine that has been failing. It kicks in around 3,800 RPM's. If this is defective, this could be the cause of the sluggishness that you're talking about. Go to that site and do a search for that word. There are even pictures there to show you where it is and how to test it to see if it works.

i think the gated shifter things is just a "form" thing with no real functional advantage, except it makes it easier to incorportate sportshift into the lever instead of using separate buttons or paddles.

if anything, it's a luxury rip off of benzes considering the earliest benz i remember us owning has had it ('80something).

canadiancl - I rarely look down when I shift. So I do it by feel. When shifting into Park, just remember to go slightly to the right and do it firmly. When shifting into other gears... of course, move slightly down and left. Quick firm shifts are fun... auto or manual

Another thing about gate shifters - Nissan/Infiniti is starting to use it as well. I believe the shifters reduces the chances of shifting into the wrong gears while cruising. I had a knuckle head passenger who knocked my gear into Neutral once in another car..... good thing she didn't knock it hard enough into Reverse. Another thing, Chrysler didn't use the gated shifter for their LH cars in the past when they have the autostick.

canadiancl - you might want to check your oil fluid level again since you mentioned that your car's performance changed after the oil change. Too much oil will do that.

That sounds like a pretty good deal to me. Being an auto broker, I know you are paying probably about $300 - $500 over invoice, so go for it. I would ask to see the invoice price on the "decor" package, but they probably won't show it to you.

I own a 99 CALL 2.3 with a manual and I really like it. The performance is not great (but not bad) and I am seriously looking into a CL 3.2 or possibly the S version. I do have a comment on the fit and finish of both Cls. Has anyone noticed the rather poor fit of the body panels? On the older 2.3s the panels fit very bad where the passenger's front part of the door meets the back of the left front fender. On some cars, the fit is so poor the gap on the passenger's side is three times that of the driver's side. Also on many of the cars I've seen the door is noticibly further inside of the fender. Looks wierd.

On then ewer Cls the door/fender gaps are better but still marginally worse than what I've seen on American cars. However, the gaps around both the hood/fenders and trunk/fenders are off by quite a bit from side to side. It's not what I would expect from a more "high line" car. Maybe it's just me but the difference in gaps does not match the otherwise excellent reliability and execution of both versions of the CL line. Has anyone else noticed these as well?

for some reasons, I imagined there would be some sort of gold trim included in it. Gold trim looks nicer on white or black color cars - definitely not good on the old Sundance Gold.

scimitar15 - you're right about the gap. My car's hood has enough of a gap on the left side to stick a pen in there. Only if they can make is fit like the Maximas that we have. Other than that, I am ok with the rest of the fit in my car.

SCIMITARI15 Just got my CL/s in March enjoying the car but I'm really irritated by the gapes and poor fit. My trunk has a wider gap on the left side vs. right side which is a hair line fit. The doors do not fit flush and every time I look in the rear view mirror the lack of smooth lines is distracting. Any one have any suggestion on how to remedy? I traded my Infiniti, and the fit and finish were excellent however preformance was lacking - did I trade quality for power?

Current edition of Motor Trend- Long term test of the CL-S- NO problems, no expenses for repairs! I have to concur. I NOW have 6,000 miles on my car since 3/28/01! Way more then I should have and way more then any other car I've owned in such a short time. I love driving this car! The best I have ever owned!

Also- 6-speed manual IS coming for the 2002 CL-S according to Motor Trend.

Jrent, cyranno99, thanks for the feedback. I wonder if this is a design problem inherent with the car or if it just shoddy workmanship. I have not seen other Acura products with poor fitting panels on other models, just the CLs. With the price they charge I would think the panels would be more towards (granted, not quite) the BMW/Infiniti crowd. Jrent, I know what you mean about the spacing around the trunk. I have seen some CLs that have virtually no gap on one side of the trunk or hood. It makes me wonder if the trunk/hood lids scrape against the fender. Course, on the other side the gap is indeed wide enough to put pens, pencils, and even my little finger through it.

I could go on and on about the poor fit and finish on the CL & CL-S. It spoils what could have been an excellent car. On mine, the hood is skewered slightly to the right. So the gap on the driver side is noticeably wider than on the left. There is also a gap between the driver-side headlight assembly and the front edge of the fender. Also the front of the driver door sits about 1/10th of an inch lower than it should, so the horizontal crease does not line up with the crease on the front fender. The dealer has made 3 separate attempts to fix the problems, but they have only been able to make marginal improvements. In fact, after trying to re-align the hood, the hood now requires a couple of slams to close. So I don't really want to risk further "adjustments". It may do more harm than good!